What Only Hardcore HGTV Fans Know About Fixer Upper

When "Fixer Upper" launched on HGTV in 2013, it was an immediate hit. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the show's ratings were almost double in the second season; and by 2016, the Season 3 finale boasted close to 4 million live viewers. The total ratings that year topped 25 million, including all airings. It's the most-watched series in HGTV history.

Here's the premise: hosts Chip and Joanna Gaines, a married couple in Waco, Texas, help home buyers find and renovate a home. Chip is the lead contractor, while Joanna is the designer. From purchase price to completing a renovation, the projects are typically under $500,000. But the value keeps growing. For example, according to Today, a one-bedroom, one-bath home called "the Shotgun House," featured in Season 3, was on the market in 2017 for $950,000. The same owners now rent it for $311 a night on Airbnb.

The "Fixer Upper" formula is still working. With five seasons and a reboot underway, the show's impact is still being felt. Still, the couple and the show continue to generate headlines. Here is what only hardcore HGTV fans know about the show.

One of the hallmarks of the show is that Chip and Joanna show the prospective home buyer three homes at the beginning of the episode. But one participant from Season 3 says that's not true. David Ridley told Fox News that he had already purchased his house as a requirement to be on the show. "You have to be under contract to be on the show. They show you other homes, but you already have one," Ridley told the news outlet. "After they select you, they send your house to Chip and Joanna and their design team."

Good Housekeeping reports that for their new show, "Fixer Upper: Welcome Home," the Gaines and their team require applicants already to own a home in Waco or the surrounding area, to have at least $50,000 for the renovation funds, and be willing to give all creative control to the show's construction and design crew.

Season 3 homebuyers Ken and Kelly Downs thought the Waco neighborhood they moved into was safe. But after a suspected drunk driver crashed into their home, they were frustrated. The couple, who was sleeping in their primary bedroom at the time of the accident, was featured in the episode "Three Little Pigs."

"It's like the Wild West here. There's been a lot of commotion coming from the bars and the store across the street," Kelly told the Waco Tribune-Herald. "It's been a problem from the beginning. We've lived here a year and a half and we feel deceived by the city of Waco and Magnolia Realty."

But another couple whose home was featured on "Fixer Upper" is defending the Gaines and the Waco area. Jill Barrett (who has known Chip since college) and her husband Joshua had their home renovation featured during Season 2. They believe people should do a little more research into the town before agreeing to move there, as it's not a fancy gated suburb, and it's not advertised as one. Instead, it's a small town.

"When you look out your front door and you see three bars and a sign that says 'Live Bait' and you look at your neighbors' houses and they're just not the same quality of home that you're buying or you're renovating I think caveat emptor; I think it's buyer beware," Joshua Barrett told Fox News. "I'm a little disappointed in that. I think it's not fair."

"Fixer Upper" inspired homeowners to embrace the "farmhouse chic" trend, but some people took the idea too far. According to the Courier-Journal, thieves wanted Chip and Joanna's signature style so much that in 2019 there was a rise in theft of weathered or distressed barn wood. The problem was particularly bad in Kentucky, the state with the most barns. It's also been a problem in other farm states, including Iowa, Ohio, South Carolina, Indiana, and more.

The Courier-Journal in Louisville, Kentucky, reported some barns had so much wood stolen that all that was left were the barns' frames and roofs. One resident told the newspaper part of her barn had already been stripped, and she had a pistol ready if thieves came back to steal again. "Well, sure, I'd fire at 'em," said Lois "Nan" Coffey. "I'd love to get it out."

Another way to potentially stop the theft? Reclaimed wood buyers are now asking for W-9 tax forms from sellers, hoping to add legitimacy to the transaction and deter thieves. Sheriffs in the bluegrass state tracked the theft, but there wasn't much they could do unless the thieves were caught in the act.

The Gaines launched their furniture company, Magnolia Home, in 2016. The Houston Chronicle reported an Alabama company, Standard Furniture, would manufacture the furniture. But soon, there was a problem. According to Woodworking Network, Standard Furniture and its corporate affiliate, International Furniture Marketing, Inc. (IFM), sued its Chinse supplier, LF Products, alleging the supplier used water buffalo hide on chairs and sofas instead of the "top grain leather" it initially promised. The furniture shipment was valued at $650,000.

While Joanna Gaines wasn't named in the lawsuit as a plaintiff or a defendant, she was called for a deposition since the furniture was for her company and since she discovered the discrepancy. According to the legal complaint, "This 'bait and switch' was discovered in an embarrassing and damaging manner for Standard and IFM when their licensing partner Joanna Gaines was shipped and opened a box containing the defective furniture. It was immediately apparent to Ms. Gaines that the product was substandard and unsaleable."

Gaines didn't want any part of the lawsuit and insisted she be paid for her time to give a deposition. Her hourly rate was $150,000, but a judge said no way to that high fee. Still, her testimony wasn't needed after all since the furniture companies decided to drop their claims against each other.

In 2017, Chip and Joanna Gaines launched a new product line with retailer Target. The "Hearth & Hand with Magnolia" line has a functional, "modern farmhouse" vibe. But HuffPost says the product line upset the couple's conservative base, who are upset that Target supports LGBTQ issues, including allowing customers and employees to use restrooms based on gender identity.

The Gaines defended the partnership, explaining on their website that working with Target was a wonderful experience. "With our friends, our family, and with the people we do business with, we are serious about continually finding common ground. We are thankful to get to work side by side with the people at Target. We believe we are going to build something really beautiful together and that our positive impact will be far greater now than it would ever be apart." Despite the controversy, the brand remains a popular staple at the big box retailer.